‘You know what I want you to tell me, Lewis.’
His face changes. The smile is gone. Now he’s staring at me earnestly, with sympathy in his eyes. ‘I think I do,’ he says. ‘I think you want a story that explains why you’ve seen Flora in England recently. The thing is, Beth, you can’t have. Flora hasn’t been in England. She’s been here, with her family. I don’t know who you saw, but it wasn’t her.’
‘Maybe I saw the woman who lives there now,’ I say.
‘Quite possibly.’
‘Jeanette Cater?’
‘I can’t remember her name, if it’s even the same family that we sold to.’
‘Don’t you remember Kevin and Jeanette Cater?’
‘Kevin Cater … Yes, I think that is who we sold to.’
‘You used to work with him.’
‘No, I didn’t.’
‘He worked at CEMA while you and Flora were there.’
‘Did he?’ Lewis looks mildly interested in this coincidence. ‘You could be right, but I didn’t know him. Flora might have. Beth, are you all right? You’re starting to worry me.’
‘I’m fine. Do you have a current photo of Georgina? I’d like to see one.’
‘Not with me, no.’
‘None on your phone?’
‘No.’
‘How come?’
‘Do you know about Georgina?’ Lewis asks. ‘I suppose you might have found out if you’ve been scouring the UK in search of Flora.’
‘What’s there to know?’
‘That she died,’ Lewis says simply. ‘Which … you knew. Okay. Did Flora’s parents tell you?’
‘Why did you lie to me? I asked you how old she was now and you said twelve.’
‘I didn’t want to discuss the death of my daughter with someone who’s not part of my life any more. My aim was to get on to a new subject as swiftly as possible. I miscalculated, clearly, because now we’re having the conversation I didn’t want to have, only face to face.’
No. He sounds so plausible, but it can’t be true. Or rather, what he’s told me so far might be true but he’s saying it to obscure the bigger truth, whatever that is. If he really had nothing to hide, why would he allow someone he hasn’t spoken to for twelve years to intrude into his morning with a barrage of strange questions? He wouldn’t. He’d ask me to leave.
‘I’m sorry Georgina died,’ I say.
‘Thank you. Me too.’ Lewis smiles sadly. ‘This game turned out to be less fun than I hoped it would be.’
‘Tell me the truth, Lewis. Please.’
‘I just have.’
‘The whole truth.’ I’m not scared to push him further. What’s he going to do, leap out of his chair and punch me? I’m assuming he cares what the people in this building think of him and so wouldn’t risk it. ‘If you and Flora are still married, why are there no photos of her on your Instagram? Why is she living with Kevin Cater in your old house, and calling herself Jeanette? Whose are the two children that live in that house? They’re yours and Flora’s, aren’t they? So why are they living with Kevin Cater? I’ve seen them, Lewis. I know you’re their father.’
‘Are you lonely, Beth?’
‘No. I’m not lonely at all.’
‘Are you fulfilled?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘You’ve flown all the way from England to sit in my office and fire strange accusations at me. They do sound like accusations, whether that’s your intention or not – as if you’re a TV detective trying to crack a case. Which casts me in the role of “villain you’ve exposed, about to be locked up at Her Majesty’s pleasure”. In fact, I’m someone who’s done nothing wrong and who used to be your friend. Whose third child died tragically many years ago, and who didn’t and doesn’t want to talk about that with someone he’s no longer close to. There’s nothing in my life that justifies a manic interrogation, so … this has to be about whatever’s going on with you. I’m wondering if you’re okay.’
I decide to try a new tactic. ‘Tell me the truth, Lewis. I don’t much care what it is. All I want is to know. People are trying to tell me I didn’t see something I know I saw, and I’ve had enough. At least confirm that it was Flora I saw, even if you won’t tell me anything else.’
A flicker of impatience passes across his face. ‘Beth, I can take you to Flora right now if you like.’
‘She might be in Florida now, but she wasn’t the two times I saw her.’
‘Yes, she was.’ Lewis raises one hand, finger pointed upwards. ‘I’ve thought of a solution.
Can you tell me the exact dates and times of your alleged Flora sightings? There’s rarely a day that she doesn’t see someone – her friends, charity committee ladies, tennis club people. I can probably track down whoever she was with when you claim to have seen her in the UK.’
‘To provide an alibi, you mean?’ An extremely well-paid one, no doubt. ‘I’m sure you could, but why would you? If you’re telling the truth and nothing dodgy’s going on, why would you indulge my irrational obsession?’
‘The very question I’m asking myself at the moment.’ Lewis smiles again. ‘Because you were once a good friend, I guess. As for something dodgy … even if Flora was in the UK, which she wasn’t, how is that dodgy? She has a passport. She’s allowed to travel.’
‘The two children living at 16 Wyddial Lane are called Thomas and Emily.’
Lewis laughs. ‘Yeah, right. Of course they are.’
‘I heard Flora call them by those names. They look identical to …’ I point at the photo on his desk. ‘To they way they looked at the same age. That’s how I know they’re yours.’
‘Wait, wait …’ For the first time since I arrived, he looks as if he doesn’t know exactly what to say next. ‘Beth, I don’t want to hurt your feelings, but … do you realise how unwell you sound?’
‘I might sound that way to someone else, who knew nothing, but it’s not how I sound to you. To you, I sound like someone who knows a bit too much. Whereas to me, I sound like someone who knows too little.’
‘This is verging on pathological now,’ he says.
‘We could easily sort it out once and for all.’
‘How?’
‘Take me to see Thomas and Emily. If they tell me Flora lives with you all and hasn’t been in England recently, I might believe them.’
‘You know what?’ He sounds angry. Finally. ‘I’m not going to do that. I’m not going to introduce my kids to someone displaying pathologically obsessive behaviour. Even if she is an old friend.’
‘All right. Never mind. They’d probably lie for you anyway if you paid them enough. If mine are anything to go by, teenagers are generally bribe-able.’
‘Are you listening to yourself? Can you hear how you sound?’
‘Who’s Chimpy?’
‘Chimpy?’ I see a flash of what looks like genuine confusion. ‘I have no idea who Chimpy is. Who is it?’